Unless progress on gender equality is rapidly accelerated, the global community will not only fail to achieve Sustainable Development Goal (SDG) 5 but will also forgo the catalytic effect that gender equality can have for achieving all 17 SDGs. The negative impact of the Covid-19 pandemic on women in the workplace will not be reversed for a very long time, and to truly deliver health, well-being, and dignity for all, gender equality in the workplace must be a core focus for all organisations. Organisational will and a restructuring of the employment relationship with women are not only necessary but also good for business. To drive accountability and influence GBV-related system change and policy-making in the private sector, Shared Value Africa Initiative (SVAI) and the University of Johannesburg (UJ) embarked on a research project in collaboration with Mid Sweden University and supported by KPMG South Africa. I welcome the findings and recommendations in the recently released Report titled "The Costly Impact of GBV" . It highlights the need for the private sector to address the reality of GBV as it formulates company policy and structures of governance. This means implementing top-of-mind GBV-related education and awareness programmes, adopting behavioral change, and providing ongoing feedback on progress through annual integrated and environmental, social, and governance impacts (ESG) reporting. While great strides have been made in recent years, the South African private sector has not yet fully embraced the role it needs to play in the achievement of gender equality. It still takes longer for women to get promoted, women remain under-represented at all levels and continue to earn less than their male counterparts. They also struggle with a lack of support from their male colleagues, and a toxic patriarchal culture and are often subject to discriminatory norms and exclusionary policies that make climbing the corporate ladder even more challenging.
Gender inequality has also been widely recognised as a key driver of gender- based violence. It is increasingly a term that connects all acts of violence rooted in some form of “patriarchal ideology” and can thus be committed against both women and men, by women and men, with the purpose of maintaining social power. It can take many forms, impacting on a physical, sexual, psychological, and economic level, and can include bullying, mobbing, verbal abuse, and harassment from work colleagues, supervisors, or managers. Additional examples include sexual harassment and unwanted sexual advances; threats and acts of sexual abuse and violence, including “coercive” or transactional sex, rape, and sexual assault and abuse and harassment around pregnancy. Additional violations include psychological abuse and intimidation; abusive working conditions such as poor health and safety; inadequate or inappropriate sanitary facilities and rules about their use; involuntary excessively long working hours and unpredictable or late demands to work overtime. GBV is a systemic social issue that is deeply entrenched in our institutions, our cultures, and our traditions with a tragic effect on all, regardless of age, race, gender, or sexual preference. Yet, the perception that GBV is a social issue only, is no longer acceptable or true as GBV has an enormous business and economic impact. Corporate South Africa, in particular, has a vested interest because this plight not only presents workplace challenges such as reduced productivity and absenteeism but also impacts the communities the companies operate in.
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PRIVATE SECTOR They also struggle with a lack of support from their male colleagues, and a toxic patriarchal culture Dec 2022 | Collective Action Magazine
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